Ai Yasumi is a shy and awkward girl who learns how to socialize with people by reading manga. A particular manga really captured her imagination and conjured one of the characters to be her friend. Speaking to amateur and professional mangaka at Comitia (Comiket) inspires her to draw her own manga. We’ll see how far she gets in her journey when Draw This, Then Die! (Kore Kaite Shine) premieres on July 3rd, 2026.
Golden Week has arrived in Japan, and J-List is celebrating with an extra-awesome sale for you! Through May 13th, you can get 15% off all in-stock items shipping from Japan. Just think of the amazing stress-relief toys, ero lotion, or hentai manga you can pick up. No code to enter, just start browsing here!
Minoru Toyoda released the original Draw This, Then Die! manga series on November 12th, 2021. Shogakukan has since published eight volumes in Monthly Shonen Sunday.
Draw This, Then Die! Cast
The budding mangaka, her imaginary friend, and her teacher are as follows:



- Ai Yasumi — Akira Sekine (Maryu Reage from Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?). Ai’s love of manga pushes her to create her own book.
- Pokota — Noriko Hidaka (Shiny Chariot / Professor Ursula from Little Witch Academia). Pokota is Ai’s imaginary friend, based on a character from Robota and Pokota.
- Rei Teshima — Saori Hayami (Yor Forger from Spy × Family). Rei is Ai’s teacher and the creator of Robota and Pokota.
Liden Films maintains a website, a TikTok page, and a Twitter (X) account to promote Draw This, Then Die!. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.


Don’t Miss That Deadline! Draw This, Then Die!
Ai Yasumi is a voracious manga reader. She’s already read a ton of manga from the local book shop, and still can’t get enough. Manga has helped her in everyday life, such as making friends. Ai still reads her favorite manga, Robota and Pokota. Indeed, Pokota is something of an imaginary friend who pushes her to make drastic choices to pursue her dreams. A new Comitia (Comiket) event is being held on the mainland in Tokyo, and she hopped on the next boat out.






Robota and Pokota‘s creator, Rei Hoshino, would be in attendance, and she couldn’t miss the chance to meet her. Rei Hoshino was an independent mangaka and never really took off, but her work touched Ai’s soul. While there, Ai was told the obvious truth: she can create her own manga. After meeting Rei Hoshino, her teacher under a pen name, Ai set out to create her own manga series. She just needs to gather some friends in a manga club to do it.
Will you set off fireworks when you watch the premiere of Draw This, Then Die!? Have you read the manga series? Will Ai and her friends successfully create a manga volume? Let us know in the comments below.
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Golden Week has arrived in Japan, and J-List is celebrating with an extra-awesome sale for you! Through May 13th, you can get 15% off all in-stock items shipping from Japan. Just think of the amazing stress-relief toys, ero lotion, or hentai manga you can pick up. No code to enter, just start browsing here!













